Queens Botanical Garden Visits RWA

Dan Tainow and the students planned out a space for the new compost bin at Ocean Bay Community Center. Members of the Queens Botanical Garden recently visited the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance's Environmentor Program. Dan Tainow, head of Queens Botanical Garden's compost program, brought a new compost bin for students to use for composting their leftover scraps. The bin will be used by participants at the NYCHA Ocean Bay Community Center. In addition to the compost bin, Tainow also brought red wiggler worms, which are used to facilitate the composting process. The skin of fruits, vegetables, plant scraps, paper and anything made of natural fibers can be placed into the compost bin and help reduce the amount of trash that would otherwise go to the landfill.

The youth participants were excited to hear about the worms and some got a chance to hold them. "This is simple stuff that everyone can do, but most people are so afraid of these little creatures that they don't take the time to understand how beneficial the worms can be for us and the environment," said Jeanne DuPont, director of RWA. "Hopefully these kids will share what they learned with their own families and help to create more compost programs in their own homes and buildings."

The students learned how the worms help to break down food scraps. Students got a chance to hold the worms.